I Love You 'Cuz
by SoldierSteak
Summary: Persona 3. MainxYukari. Xtreme WAFF. Relationships are said to simply rely on regular attraction between two people. None last for more than a few years. There has to be a deeper reason to love, or so Yukari hopes.
1. Chapter 1

I had to do something quick for Persona 3; the game's just too damn awesome.

I like trying to insert some theme, or _point_, into my more WAFFy fictions, so I felt like I wanted to do some psychological work on one of the couples of Persona 3. I like all the pairings, but Yukari felt like she was calling for an extension, and I deliver.

Disclaimer: All Persona rights and priviledges belong to Atlus. All direct quotations are property to the (awesome) Atlus USA localization.

* * *

**I Love You 'Cause**

Shujinkou walked into the pink room with edgy legs shaking all the way; to be offered an honor like this was beyond any privilege he'd think to have in his teenage life, and by the ever-so-prominent Yukari nonetheless.

Having that perk was much more of a prized privilege then being a member of SEES; a _leader_ of SEES. Although he had to admit that he probably would've _never_ stood a chance with her had he not come across all of the natural incitations that had occurred over the period of his junior year at Gekkoukan High.

"Hey, relax, alright?" Yukari's easing voice soothed the butterflies fluttering in his stomach, "Everyone's on the first floor; besides, I'm the one who offered to bring you up here in the first place, right?"

_Like Mitsuru-senpai would ask…_ Shujinkou winced, remembering back at the school trip to Kyoto when Akihiko had told the men how Mitsuru dealed with so-called 'perverts'. Although Shujinkou liked to think that he had enough self-control to prevent natural tendencies and desires, even he had his limits.

Just thinking about the experience reddened his cheeks, although he tried his best to hide it. If Yukari caught him blushing in her room, then he'd be out of here quicker than a bullet; a blushing boy in a girl's room could only mean so many things, and Yukari tended to jump to conclusions.

Her voice broke him out of his thoughts when he noticed her back to him, fetching some seats, "Here, let me get you somewhere to sit. I know you're probably tired from Track practice."

"A little," Shujinkou spoke his first words since arriving at the dorm tonight. He gave her room to spread the pillow-seats, noticing how she placed them oddly close to each other.

Now that he thought about it, to say their relationship was the creation of nothing but natural catalysts was not completely truthful. If he thought about it, saving her life and giving her a shoulder to cry on when she learned the truth of her father's work with the Shirijo company were definitely big points when it came to bond-making, but he could have easily become _just_ friends with her in that way, and her to him, as well. He _chose_ to get this close to her, and upon realizing that, Shujinkou began to feel a tiny bit more relaxed.

Yukari noticed his visibly-tense legs slowly lowering himself onto the ground and shook her head gently; what more could she expect? He was a boy through and through, even with the unnatural kindness that was almost unheard of among her other male classmates.

Sighing to herself, she sat down as well on the other seat, turning to face him. His head was slightly tilted toward the ground, and she knew he wasn't going to be starting any discussion soon, let alone in her room. So, Yukari started a conversation herself, "So how was practice today?"

"It was challenging, but still fun," Shujinkou shrugged, "Kazushi-san wasn't there though, and I usually hang out with him at practice."

"Isn't he the one in our class who's always in his track uniform?" Yukari asked, glad that she found a stable footing to talk with Shujinkou. She gave a slight giggle, feeling more comfortable, "What's the deal with _that_?"

Shujinkou shrugged again, "He just practices a lot. Something's been wrong with his knee lately, though. He's always complaining to me about how he doesn't want to go to the hospital to go get it checked out…"

Yukari smiled, more so at Shujinkou's long string of words rather than his part in the conversation. He _was_ a pretty sociable guy, even if it did take a bit of a push in the right direction to get him going. After all, he hadn't become the talk of the school just because of his mystical appearance; it took dedication and skill to become such a popular figure, and she knew that first-hand.

Thinking about him in such a cryptic way started to make her a bit nervous, though. She was beginning to understand why Shujinkou had been so hesitant to enter her room in the first place.

Looking around the room to get her mind off her thoughts, she felt like confiding in him, since it was the least she could do, "For some reason, I'm feeling so nervous..." she tilted her head down to hide an oncoming blush, "Even though it's you, Shujinkou-kun…" Said boy's cheeks only reddened at Yukari's own embarrassment. She continued, "Everyone's either downstairs or in their rooms, too… I hope no one finds out I snuck you in here…"

Shujinkou winced, suddenly imagining a surprised-then-enraged Mitsuru at the bedroom door, in that order. He started to begin contemplating about how to excuse himself back to his room, until Yukari spoke up again, surprising even him.

"If I accidentally scream, everybody will hear me…" _where did _that_ come from?_ Both thought at the same time. Yukari felt confused at her own statement, had she _really_ said that out loud? "What am I saying...?" she gently spoke to herself out loud again.

Before Shujinkou could get anymore thoughts, she frantically reprimanded him, "Don't get the wrong idea, okay?"

Shujinkou's blue hair waved as he raised his face to look at the brunette, and finally noticed that she was as nervous as he had been. He nodded to her, contemplating on winking before deciding to leave that part out, "I didn't hear anything." Did he just feel a glimpse of déjà vu, way back from the beginning of the school year?

Yukari reddened even more at his simple response. How did he always manage to say the perfect thing at the right time? She cleared her face quickly to face him and said nervously, trying to salvage her pride, "Y-Ya' got that right!"

In all honesty she felt pretty bad about being so tough on Shujinkou. Now that she thought about it, Shujinkou was _always _the one who tried to pick up the pieces whenever she made a mistake, such as bringing him and Junpei to the dark alleyways near Port Island Station. _Or embarrassing both of us,_ she lightly noted in her mind.

She suddenly felt the impulse to apologize to him, brought on from this small epiphany, "I'm sorry, Shujinkou-kun." Before he had a chance to even make a confused look on his face, she tried to answer the question in his head, "I asked you to come in here with me, when we know that it's really risky since one of our friends could find out…" she sadly exhaled the breath in her throat, trying to relax herself, "and here I am yelling at you for me goofing up. Sorry, again."

Shujinkou blinked underneath his shade of blue hair, confused at Yukari's sudden, strange behavior. He couldn't lay his finger on the last time she apologized to him in such a way, although that didn't change the fact that she did apologize, just now. He gathered the courage to raise his head and, gazing into her expectant eyes, nodded, "It's alright, Yukari." There wasn't a whole lot else that he could find to say.

Yukari's lips curled into a delighted smile, "Thanks for putting up with me, at least."

A few moments passed with tension hanging thick in the air, and Yukari began to feel embarrassed once more. She started up again, "Well, I didn't invite you here just to make you feel awkward, so…" and soon, the two engaged in everyday conversation, much like what they did at the mall or diners dotting the city.

Shujinkou tended to feel like his afternoons went by far too quickly for his liking, as by the time he checked Yukari's window, the horizon on the sky was already beginning to shine a perplexing orange. Apparently, Yukari noticed the change in time as well, as they both stood up from the ground at the same time.

Yukari had a dutiful look on her face, as if she just realized something, "Oh yeah… I wanted to give you something…" Reaching into her pocket, she pulled something out that was pressed tightly in her knuckle, "This is for you…"

She held out her hand, and Shujinkou obliged by sticking out his. The brunette gently dropped something into his palm; when she pulled her hand away, he noticed it was the pink strap that always hung from her cell phone.

"You know what it is, right?" Yukari nervously asked, wondering if it was too stupid a question to ask. Just in case she decided to remind him, "It's the strap from my cell phone. I got it from the opening ceremony for the Moonlight Bridge."

Her eyes focused on the strap that rested in Shujinkou's outstretched hand, and she methodically added, "It's been my special keepsake for many years… Ever since my dad bought it for me."

_Yukari…_ the young man could only repeat her name in his head, completely surprised that she would be willing to lose such a precious commodity. Yukari saw his hand suddenly flinch when he heard her say that.

Trying to help him understand, she continued, "… I used to talk to the toy figurine attached to it… When I was here in my room…" a large blush formed across her face, _God, this so embarrassing…_

It didn't take a genius to figure out what Yukari was getting at, and Shujinkou was beginning to understand how exactly she dealt with nervousness; she giggled.

"You must think I'm nuts, huh?" she asked, alleviating her own blush. It helped her prepare to say what she had wanted to tell him all month. Yukari had to start somewhere, "But…"

Shujinkou raised an eyebrow ever-so-slightly.

"… As I got to know you, Shujinkou-kun… I talked to my little friend less and less…" her eyes blinked as she tried to figure out what to say next, "… That's not the reason I gave it to you, though…"

An awkward silence followed, and Shujinkou was beginning to have different thoughts; one thinking that he should have politely declined Yukari's offer to her room and avoid this whole mess, or delve deeper to see where that growing blush on his crush's cheeks would take him.

Not surprising at all, Yukari took a step closer. Once she worked with what she wanted to tell him in her mind, she slowly spoke, more nervous than she had ever been before; perhaps in her entire life, "I-I'm… Only going to say this once, okay?"

"Shujinkou-kun…" _This is it… Please, oh please…_ Yukari felt her heart begin to beat like a timer beeping down on a countdown, and she had to let her subconscious take control of her body to curl her lips to say what she wanted to admit.

"… I love you."

The adrenaline that was fueling her courage to let it out suddenly faltered and she had to turn her body around, lest her heart explode waiting for Shujinkou's reaction.

…But… She felt _happy_. As she began thinking more and more about what she had just confessed, her mind was starting to have less and less regrets about doing it. She could only cheerfully reply one thing, "… Whew, I said it!"

If Yukari's heart started hurting when it pulsated in her chest, then Shujinkou's was a speeding rocket. The shock of hearing Yukari's confession made him unsure if he was dreaming or not, and when he realized that he wasn't, the full reality of his situation made him nearly fall over.

"Yukari…" was the only thing that he could get out of his mouth. In his mind, a thousand thoughts were running around frantically.

Yukari, scared of what he may say next, turned her head slowly to look back at Shujinkou, her lungs forgetting to breathe for a moment.

Shujinkou Arisato had never had a mouthful of words, and in this case, he realized that there weren't many words he could say, other than the obvious. Yukari's heart fluttered, and she felt like just falling into him right there, as the young man's lips curled into the tiniest of smiles, and he nodded. Plain and simple: that was why she liked him in the first place.

"When all of this is over, we should do something fun, don't ya' think?" Yukari happily asked, turning her body to face Shujinkou again; she had nearly forgotten that they were so close in the first place. Feeling a slight breath of warm air from his mouth, she was able to clear her mind again to continue, "Hey… Don't make any plans for tonight, okay?"

Gathering her breath, she placed her toes right against his, "I… Uh… Want to spend some time together… Just the two..." she squeaked out the last part, "… of us…"

She had to lower her head to hide just how embarrassed she was from Shujinkou, and in doing so, she saw him remove his hands from his pockets; a motion that always made her heart skip a few beats. Her body felt warm all over, as she felt a slight pressure on her arms; Shujinkou kept her in a small, caring embrace. It wasn't too strong or too forceful, and that was exactly how Yukari expected one from him.

"I-I'm blushing, aren't I?..." the only thing she managed to squeak out; it wasn't nearly as romantic as she wanted it to be. However, the warmth laying around her quickly erased any uneasiness, and she slowly allowed herself to drift against him. Both her lower arms began to bend upwards, so she could grasp Shujinkou's elbows and return his simple hug.

"Yu-Yukari…" Shujinkou's mouth stuttered, making her name come out strangely. What was he supposed to think when something like this happened? Suddenly, he began regretting giving her a hug. The one that he had given her at Yakushima was simply between close friends lending each other a close shoulder, but this scenario was entirely different.

_Do… Do I like Yukari?..._

The sudden loss of warmth hit Yukari like a blast of cold air, as she felt Shujinkou suddenly back up from her. "Sh-Shujinkou-kun…" her arms visibly quivered, hurt from his sudden avoidance, "… What's wrong?"

Shujinkou's facial expression only conveyed his own guilt and shame, his eyes vibrating as thoughts shot back and forth in his mind.

A sudden fear hit the brunette, her shaking hand finding its way to her mouth, _no… no, I was… I was sure he would… Oh please no… _"Sh-Shujinkou-kun… Did I do something wrong?" Her confident nature helped give her the strength to question him, "Please, if you need to tell me something, please just tell me! I… I want to know!"

"I-I'm sorry Yukari, I…" _I what?.._ Shujinkou tried to place a finger on the whirlwind of frantic patterns in his mind. Was he truly not sure if he could return Yukari's feelings?_ No,_ _I have to pull through…_

"You… What?.." Yukari's question was the final push to get him started.

Trying to find the words to begin, he started, "It's just that… Do you really…" he felt like a kid, not being able to say the word confidently, ".._ Love_ me?..."

Love was a very powerful word; growing up with a confined way of life kept Shujinkou separated from that feeling for most of his life, and now that someone – a _girl_ no less – had admitted those feelings to him, was he completely ready to understand the exact emotions that followed that?

Yukari blinked, and for a split second, she thought Shujinkou was just trying to make her feel awkward on purpose, "O-Of course I do, Shujinkou-kun!" Her palm suddenly slammed itself against her forehead, a resounding _slap_ echoing throughout her room, "_God_, I tried _so_ hard to work up the courage to say that, and you think I'm _lying_?"

His eyes widened in even wider embarrassment; did she have to be so critical? "You don't say that everyday to your friends, so—"

He was interrupted mid-sentence when Yukari took the initiative, much like him at first, and stepped forward right up to his face, her eyes looking straight into his own.

"I _know_," was her simple reply. Shujinkou swallowed before she continued, "It's… You have _no_ idea how embarrassing it is to say it, Shujinkou-kun, but…" her words got rolled around in her mouth, but she managed to grab them and let them out, "That's how I really feel… I wouldn't say this to anyone else at school… Maybe in the entire world…

Her arms visibly shook as she rose them up and hooked them to either side of his abdomen, "I'm not lying, Shujinkou-kun… I would never do that to you."

_Yukari…_ The boy himself gulped, feeling too stubborn to accept her proposal, "But… Why _me_?..." Thinking on even more depressing topics, he started listing what he thought was the truth, "Why not someone like Zatsuma-san? Amiro-san? What do I have that they don't?"

Zatsuma-san and Amiro-san were two of the most popular boys in the school. There was nothing overly-special about them that would set them apart from any other young men, apart from their overwhelming popularity which could only be achieved through sheer amount of experience and years at Gekkoukan; something he would never be able to gain within a year.

Yukari actually _grumbled_ at her crush's adamant behavior to the point that she was becoming frustrated, "What _about_ Zatsuma-san and Amiro-san? They're cool and nice and all, but…"

"But _why me_?" Shujinkou shot off, his face actually showing a feeling of agitation rather than ignorance, "I have to know, because… I _want_ to know…"

"Because!" Yukari threw her head in the air, losing interest at staring at his face or his chest. She felt Shujinkou flinch at her reaction, so she lowered her head back again. This was a sensitive situation; she had to say the exact right words.

"Okay, Shujinkou-kun… I understand why you wanna know… I really do…" Gathering the largest breath she could muster, Yukari began the slow, tiring speech ahead of her, automatically written in full form in her mind, "… And even though I _said_ I wouldn't say it again…" The blue-haired man nervously shuffled his feet, starting to feel a tiny bit of remorse for putting her through this. Nonetheless, she tightened her hold on him so she could stand strongly.

"I love you, 'cause… You're charming, and nice, and you're only a pervert so Stupei doesn't feel lonely…" the slightest hint of a blush appeared on Shujinkou's cheeks, which Yukari didn't miss, "Personally… I think that's really sweet of you."

As she listed her proof for Shujinkou, her voice became clearer, more tenacious, "That's one of the bigger reasons, actually… You're a cool friend, Shujinkou-kun," she giggled, an action slicing straight through the tense atmosphere and to Shujinkou's face, "I mean… You're a _really_ good friend. You find time to hang out with anyone who wants it, you balance your time with school work and, like, stuff at the mall…"

Her smile suddenly disappeared, and she lowered her head, feeling ashamed, "To be honest… At first I thought we couldn't be anything other than… You know, friends… You always looked so _out_ of it, and we didn't have a lot in common, and my friends wouldn't just let _up_ on it…"

Shujinkou's lower lip quivered and he had to sustain all of his testosterone not to feel socially betrayed. Yukari's friends didn't like him? He knew that his attitude didn't accentuate _everyone_ at the school, but to think that some of them _detested_ him hanging out with one of people he trusted his life to…

For the first time, Shujinkou felt the same pain, the same loneliness, as what his friends felt when their relationship went sour.

Yukari saw the faint outline of her eyes on Shujinkou's own, and she realized that she caused his own eyes to slowly dampen. An immense feeling of guilt washed over her, and she quickly tried to salvage their friendship, "I-I never joined them, though! Honest!..."

_God… So much for getting him to like me…_ Yukari let out a sad sigh, her chest suddenly heaving from the overshadowing fear of losing him. Her legs began to wobble from the apprehensive atmosphere in the room, and she greatly welcomed her body backing to her bed and landing on her mattress, the springs lightly detesting the motion.

She slowly cupped her cheeks in her palms, her elbows leaning in her lap. Why, _why_ did she tell him that? What was the point of saying something that could potentially hurt his feelings?

Was this the shame that came with a more intimate relationship? Yukari didn't know if she was emotionally connected to Shujinkou, or if it was the exact opposite. Feeling frustrated with herself, she could only choke out her own guilt.

"I must be the shallowest person at our school…"

Shujinkou blinked, the dampness in his eyes quickly drying off. Yukari's depressive show had hurt him even more than the truth of what her friends thought; he wouldn't hurt Yukari even if she had spread the worst rumors about him.

She let out a slight '_ah!_' as long arms wrapped themselves around her own, her hands covering the blush on her cheeks. Her eyes slid downward, seeing Shujinkou's crouched body pressed against her forearms. He kneeled on his leg so they were eye-level, but all she could see – all she could _feel _– was the black laced fabric on the shoulder of his school coat; she felt his heart beat into her arms and the pressure of his chin resting on her shoulder.

Shujinkou's calm, relaxed voice filled her ears, "Don't worry… I understand."

The two were silent once more, and the only sound filling the room was the repetitious breathing from their lips. Shujinkou – surprising Yukari once again – broke the solace, "I'm sorry about not believing you. I've had lots of girlfriends before, so I… felt really shallow, too." There were a few more seconds until he spoke up again.

"You're not shallow; you were just in a bad position," Shujinkou paused, trying to put his words in the right order, "… I would've done the same thing."

"It's alright, Shujinkou-kun…" Yukari laughed and blushed at the same time, feeling embarrassed by simply remembering what had happened only a few minutes ago, "And thanks… I guess I _did_ push that confession onto you a little quick…"

Shujinkou noticed her giggling became a little more strenuous, and if it were at all possible, her cheeks would have grown a shade of red at the top of the spectrum, "Aheh… I mean, we've only been going out for a month, right?… Heh, right?..."

During her laugh festival, Shujinkou felt her hands leave from her cheeks to around his own figure. Yukari managed to handle her embarrassment enough to talk, "But… I'm serious when I say it's all true. You really are that cool, if you didn't know. Whatever those guys said before… They're probably regretting it now."

Shujinkou didn't say anything, and she took that as his way of showing acceptance. She could hear the thought, _you're cool too, Yukari_, running through his mind, in his typical nervous behavior.

The two reveled in their mutual comfort, finally feeling at peace with both each other and the social world around them. Both of them were strangely amused that while their chests were slowly moving up and down now, only a few moments before they were beating like a speeding train.

Shujinkou wasn't sure how long they had stayed like that, only that at one point his body decided to sit on the pink covers and rest near Yukari's side, his left hand lazing in the palm of her own. The originally orange fluorescent glow coming from Yukari's window had become a simple black rectangle, a few stars dotting the horizon above Iwatodai's buildings. It was cozy, and Shujinkou was getting rather sleepy.

He glanced at Yukari's simple digital clock on her end table, he had stayed here a lot longer than he planned.

Glancing at his shoulder, he saw Yukari's tranquil face resting against his shoulders; her eyelids were drooped in a state between sleep and tired. He pulled his hand from hers and gently nudged her off.

"No…" Yukari moaned like a child, her eyelids wincing in objection at how much time had passed. She wished that time could simply freeze and they could just relax in each other's arms forever, or at least until school.

"I should leave, quick…" Shujinkou's suggestion made her wince even more. She knew it was the safest and most logical decision; a boy in the girl's dorm would demand the strictest form of punishment by both the dorm supervisors as well as their other friends.

… But even still…

"Shujinkou-kun…" Yukari spoke up, her head tilted towards the ground so he wouldn't see her embarrassment. Not that he would care, of course. Shujinkou had already stood up, but twisted his body to see Yukari, raising a single eyebrow to lead her on.

Yukari started to nervously poke her fingers into each other repeatedly, finding his shoes a lovely focus point, "I… Uh, well… Feel free to say no, but…"

Shujinkou's brow raised a bit more, hearing incoherent gibberish follow her mouth, "What?"

A face of both anger and determination crossed the pink-ridden teen's face, and she found the courage to look at him straight in the eye and ask, "Stay with me."

Shujinkou blinked.

It took a few awkward moments of silence for Yukari to realize how strange that sounded. Oh, how _desperate_ she must have looked like! Plus, giving his ego the idea that she could not live without him was far from what she viewed as an 'equal relationship'.

"W-wait… Can I take that back?..." _Oh… Stupid! Why can't I just stop talking?... _Yukari quickly lowered her head back down, all sources of courage disappearing in a flash.

Shujinkou bit his lip, not exactly sure as to what he could tell Yukari without upsetting her. 'Sorry, I'd love to stay with you, but I don't want to get caught and suffer from ridicule from Mitsuru for the rest of my life' didn't sound too comforting.

"Lis-sten…" Yukari stuttered, her cupped palms in her lap becoming a brand new vision, "I know that it's risky, and we're moving really quick and… I know I sound selfish, but just… _Don't go_… just yet…"

Shujinkou looked down at her more, and noticed that her shoulders were gently shivering. Now, more than ever, he was sure her feelings for him were true. This truly was the real deal.

"… I guess I could stay for longer…" he placed his hands in his pockets, looking at Yukari's lap much like she was. She did look up at his answer, her eyes opening wide.

"R-really?" was all she could choke out. For once, a light smile plastered Shujinkou's face.

"Really." At the risk of sounding too cliché, he quickly added, "I-I don't see why not, anyway. We're not hurting anybody, so…"

Yukari stood up on an instant, taking one large step to close the distance between them, "Th-thank you, Shujinkou-kun!" Another irrepressible feeling struck her, and she simply had to wrap her arms around his own, giving him a tight squeeze.

"N-no p-problem…" Shujinkou barely choked out with her tightening up his lungs. She was just _full_ of surprises that night.

She let go of him and took a step backward, feeling a little guilty about flustering his cheeks. The smile never left her face, however. Sitting back on the bed, she idly patted a pillow, thinking about where to put Shujinkou.

"It sounds kind've mean, but… Can I have the bed to myself tonight?" Yukari's cheeks flustered again, just thinking about how rebellious what they were doing was, "I mean, my bed's sort've small, and… I don't think I'm ready… to…"

Once again, Shujinkou alleviated all her fears, "Hai. I understand. I… Don't think I'm ready, either…"

Yukari's smile grew, standing back up, "Good. Then I hope you're alright with turning around, too." She placed a hand on her hip when Shujinkou only gave a look of confusion, "Hello-o! I need to change."

The young man nearly bit his lip off while he stumbled on his own two feet. It took complete concentration to keep his nose from bleeding out. He couldn't manage to babble out a single coherent word.

"You, over there, now!" Yukari gently gripped his shoulder and pushed him towards her closet. She quickly conceived that it would be too dangerous for him to step outside her room in case one of the other girls came upstairs, and she wasn't about to undress against his back, so the closet seemed like the most reasonable solution. She had to suppress a giggle when Shujinkou simply grumbled and treaded to the closet, opening the wooden door and stepping inside, headfirst into the largest collection of pink apparel he had ever seen. He _was_ going to sleep in a girl's room for the first time; what was there for him to complain about?

He didn't have much to compare it to, but times like these made Shujinkou curse the size of Japanese closets.

He heard her drawers being opened, followed by the ruffling sounds of her searching throughout her wardrobe. His primal thoughts began to suggest ideas of what could be in those drawers, so Shujinkou constantly replayed in his head over and over, _stronger than Junpei, stronger than Junpei, stronger than Junpei…_

After what felt like forever, Shujinkou jumped in his boots when Yukari pulled the door open, dressed in a simple, relatively pink, nighty. One part of him sighed as he noted that she had put on undergarments, and another part wanted to slap himself upside the head for thinking like that. The times when he and his friends would ogle girls were over; it didn't take the most sincere or the most experienced boyfriend in the world to know that you had to dedicate your time and all of your respect to one girl only.

If he had been paying attention to what he was seeing instead of his thoughts, he would have noticed Yukari's entire face turning red, which logically caused her to make a simple command, "Stop staring…"

Shujinkou comically shook his head back and forth, coming back to the real world, "Sorry…" he bowed his entire head to her, forsaking any unclean thoughts he previously had. His action elicited another giggle from Yukari, who shook her head much like he had done.

"You're excused, Shujinkou-kun," she gave him another smile, lifting his chin up with her hand and patting him on the shoulder like a guy friend than a girl one.

With that, she stepped over to her bed, falling onto it in a tired heap. The night's proceedings had tired her out much more than she though; apparently, blushing and being embarrassed took a lot out of a woman. She twisted her entire body on the bed so she could look at the innocent guy standing in the middle of her room, looking about as if not sure what to do next.

"Well, are you going to stand their all night?" she tilted her head softly, although once Shujinkou's eyes widened a bit at her prone figure, she instinctively grabbed a pillow and held it over her chest, feeling opened. Shujinkou shook his head again and stared at the floor, slowly walking near the side of her bed.

Sleeping on the carpet wasn't sounding like the most comfortable thing in the world, so he decided that he would at least have a pillow to use. He slid his coat off his shoulders, folding it neatly and laying it on the ground. He only managed to get to his knees before Yukari shook her head and spoke up.

"No, no, Shujinkou-kun…" she pulled her pillow away from her and dropped it next to him, "I've got a blanket; I can live without a pillow."

Shujinkou blushed at her kindness and nodded, pushing his coat across the floor in a little spot near the wall. He lowered his body and awkwardly allowed his head to press into the pillow, the pink fluff looking rather unmanly against his plain form. The overwhelming aroma of Yukari's scent and perfume wafted into his nose, and he wasn't sure whether this pillow or her neck had more of her scent in it.

"You sure you don't want a blanket?" Yukari inched to the side of her bed, tilting onto her side and sleepily looking down at Shujinkou, her head resting against her arms.

Shujinkou managed to nod against the pillow, "It's still autumn; I'm not cold, Yuka-chan." It was the first time Shujinkou had used that honorific for her, making her heart flitter and skip a beat.

_So that's what it feels like…_ Yukari twisted her head, hiding it in the crook of her arms so she didn't have to give Shujinkou the satisfaction of being able to make her look like a blossom on command, _seems like so much more when it's coming from him…_

Her cheeks quickly returned to their regular color when he asked, "What about you? Are you sure you don't want a pillow?"

She looked back at him and let a little smile curl into her lips, "Nah. If I was laying on a pillow, I couldn't do this."

Turning over one more time on her belly, she let her right arm fall off the mattress, which forcefully landed a little rough on Shujinkou's chest, who's eyes jolted open at the sudden contact. Looking back at her, he saw her give a little wink, her left arm curled inward so she could have something to lay her head on. It was a good thing her bed was so close to the floor; her palm laid open with each finger lazing gently against his silk shirt. Giving her a nod one more time, he rose his right hand and rested it on top of hers, closing his fingers lightly against it. The two heard the rhythmic beating of his soft heartbeat.

Yukari's eyes glistened when merely one simple thing rested in her head amongst the fatigue, "One more thing…"

Shujinkou stared at her questionably, but silently urged her to go on.

"I hung out with you after that one full moon because I felt guilty about putting the blame on you for what that… 'Love Shadow' did…" she hid her head inside her arm once more, afraid of Shujinkou seeing her blush or her seeing his. Shujinkou gulped, but made a soft noise to let her continue, and she did so, "Well… After all that stuff tonight, I know I don't want our bond to just be about guilt, and you never… Well…"

Leaning over the bed one more time, she looked into his eyes closer than before, "You don't like me just because of guilt, right?..."

Shujinkou's eyes stared into her own, and he didn't even have to think to know what the right thing to say was.

"Weren't you paying attention earlier?" he gave a simple question that she did not have to answer, "I love you, just 'cuz."

Yukari let her face take the brunt of her emotions and pulled herself back on top of the bed. Reaching over to turn off the lamp, she gave Shujinkou her sweetest smile one more time, "Goodnight, Shujinkou-kun."

"'Night."

For once, Shujinkou did not worry about his future. The necessity to remember what his plans on tomorrow Sunday were was not apparent, the fear that his team would not be ready for Tartarus was strangely absent, and the idea that his days were getting shallower and emptier did not even cross his mind.

For once, he truly felt at peace, which a gentle squeeze from Yukari's hand in the darkness was the final confirmation.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

QUICK: CAST DIA. MY BLOOD-GIVING HEART HAS BEEN REPLACED BY FLUFF. FLUFF DOES NOT CIRCULATE

There'll be one more part after this. It's real short, so don't expect anything big. I was thinking about just combining it to the end of this, but I felt the atmosphere's a bit different, and it would do better as a short dénouement rather than an add-on. You'll see; won't take me long to write.

Oh yeah, one more thing: if you guys don't review, then I find your pets. Don't have one? Buy a fish, and I'll find that, too.


	2. Mondays

A real quick denouement to finish off this little piece of mine. Thanks for the reviews (To… Ahem… the few of those who actually bothered COUGH COUGH LAZY), but if you already made one, feel free to review the second chapter too... And by feel free, I mean I demand you to.

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Before Shujinkou knew it, the weekend had come and gone, and here he was back in class 2E, his eyes literally trembling due to sheer exhaustion from last night's Tartarus session. It was well worth it considering the results, though; despite not having a bed the night before, the SEES leader had slept like a baby and felt like a champion the next day, single-handedly pulling his team through forty floors. It was a feat of such magnificence that even the enigmatic Igor and Elizabeth dully noted, generously fusing the omnipotent persona Cybele of the Lover's Arcanum as a reward. Shujinkou had a gut feeling that it had something to do with his closer relationship with Yukari, to which the polite Elizabeth simply smiled and reassured in her own way.

His energy was only hampered from her roughly waking him up and shoving him out of her room before Mitsuru and the other girls woke up in the morning, giving him ample time to sneak back into his own bed like nothing happened. Personally he wouldn't have minded spending the entire day with her in her room, at the mall, or basically everywhere else, but Yukari had early morning archery lessons at the park, followed right after with a trip to the mall with her other friends. Shujinkou didn't mind; he would have plenty of time to spend with her in the following days; hell, weeks and months after that.

He wasn't about to lose her anytime soon, at the least.

Supporting his head with his own hands, Shujinkou tiredly watched the clock's dreadfully slow hands move in place above the door, with Toriumi-sensei's dull speech about today's lack of creative writing creating a light buzz in the back of his head. So close to the end of the day, and his teacher still found time to squeeze in the rest of her oral lectures. From what he could tell, Yukari was feeling just as tired as he was in the seat ahead of his, her body hunched in an uncomfortable posture.

When 3 o'clock hit, Shujinkou nearly gasped in praise, and it took him a few moments to realize that the ringing bell meant he could go home, rather than simply allowing him to just fall asleep right there on top of the desk. Thus ended day one of a brand new school week. _Only five more to go_, he dully noted in the back of his head.

After following regular school procedure and bowing goodbye to the teacher, Shujinkou grabbed his pack and held it loosely against his side, not completely sure if he was attentive enough to make the trek back to Iwatodai dorm. Going to student council was completely out of the question; the only reason Mitsuru was attending today was because she was on standby duty at Tartarus last night.

He was contemplating on asking Junpei to help drag him back home until remembering that the goof had stayed home sick, which would've sounded like a good idea if Shujinkou wasn't shooting for good attendance. Waiting around to gather up his energy sounded like the best idea, or at least until one of his friends offered to give him a ride.

Shujinkou scanned the room with one quick gaze and rose his eyebrow, remembering what didn't occur on Monday. _Or…_

Yukari stood at her usual place after school, checking up on the current schedules for all of her extracurricular clubs in the back of the class. A light smile tugging at his lips, the young man walked over to her side, making her hop a little with a simple "hey".

The girl in question gave a quick yelp from the sudden noise behind her, turning around to look at the perpetrator. She only '_humph'-_ed when noticing that it was only Shujinkou and crossed her arms in mild discontent, "Very funny, wise guy. Just hilarious." Shujinkou only chuckled.

His soft laughter forced a small grin on her face, and Yukari greeted him plainly to return the favor.

"Shujinkou-kun…" her smile wavered slightly, catching his attention, "…I'm okay now, so thanks."

Quickly, her hand patted his own, giving it a gentle-but-quick squeeze before letting go, "I'm here for you too, so don't forget that, okay?"

Shujinkou smiled even wider and nodded, looking from Yukari's hand back to her brown eyes. It took all of his willpower to not arrogantly grin at the growing blush on her cheeks. However, his skill was limited.

"…Don't stare at me…" she gushed out, pulling her hand back to her side, "… Someone might start a rumor."

Shuffling on her feet, she twisted herself back against the wall and shoved her face into the reports on the wall, already feeling light-headed.

Shujinkou felt a little betrayed at her fear of them being seen together too intimately in public; hadn't they had a whole episode on that last Friday? Nonetheless, he managed to savor the remains of his energy for a situation like this; it was time to see if their feelings truly were unique to both of them.

Quickly reaching out, Shujinkou took hold of Yukari's hand a bit hastily with his left and twisted her a tiny bit to the side, moving forward to do what both modern Japanese senior society and the school administration looked down upon.

He gave her a sweet, tender kiss gently on her lips, right in front of the remaining students that hadn't left for home yet.

If Shujinkou hadn't taken hold of Yukari's hand, she would've taken one long hop back right through the door and out into the hallway. The kiss wasn't anything too deep; even Shujinkou knew to an extent what not to do in public, but by the time he had pulled away, Yukari was reduced to an incoherent, embarrassed mess.

"Sh-Shujinkou-k-kun...!" her lower lip trembled from the shock of being kissed right on it – _has Shujinkou's breath always smelled like that_? – and her feet wobbled in her knee-high boots. She suddenly felt almost as drained as Shujinkou was – too drained to pull her hand away from his.

Shujinkou quickly licked his upper lip, more so as to trying to recover from the stunt he just pulled rather than worrying that they were dry. He kept his gaze solely on Yukari and Yukari alone, ignoring her rosy cheeks and waiting for her confirmation.

In between the sounds of her beating heart and her mind questioning if what had just transpired truly happened, Yukari looked at Shujinkou's face, which looked like he was waiting for something.

_Oh… I see what he's gettin' at… Real genius boy…_

Finally, Yukari managed to mirror the state of her cheeks back onto Shujinkou's, nuzzling her forehead intimately against his, and the two felt each other's breaths winding against their lips from their noses. Being this close to each other with their hands clamping themselves in place, Shujinkou could taste Yukari's breathing when she smiled and exhaled into his face, bringing their arms to rest against their chests. Even their words shared a lack of total coherency.

"Love, Shujinkou-kun…"

"Love, Yuka-chan…"

For once, Yukari wasn't afraid if her friends or classmates accidentally stumbled upon the two this close together; in fact, she couldn't even hear the quiet rumors already starting from Shujinkou's friend Kenji's mouth. She loved Shujinkou, and he loved her; even the thought of Stupei getting on their case once they got back didn't even phase her for a second.

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**Author's Notes: **Real small, just like I promised. Even if you already reviewed, just re-review like I dem—asked politely. Teh, everyone naming the Main Minato… Why can't we all use the much more unoriginal name of Shujinkou (Meaning: Main Character)? You guys and your ability to buy foreign comics and identify series' canon… Phooey.

Listening to Joy in the first half of the first chapter, followed by tranquility on the official soundtrack helped me write and get in character, since I usually listen to music to help me write better. Memories of the School was also listened to for this chapter; it's real sweet, and personally I think that it conveniently fits the feelings of the MainxYukari pairing. I think I'll get around to some more Persona 3 fanfiction; the game is just too good for simply one story.


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